Regulator-assembly for timepiece

ABSTRACT

A regulator-assembly for a timepiece in which the regulator has a catch engaged in the groove of a tangential screw threaded in the frame of the clockwork in such a way that the angular position of the regulator is modified by rotating the screw, characterized by the fact that the catch is constituted by a thin elastic tongue urged, by its own elasticity, to apply itself against the bottom of the groove, the two terminal faces of the groove being frustoconical and opening towards the outside, the width of the bottom of the groove being less than that of the tongue, so that the tongue bears simultaneously on both frustoconical surfaces, wherefore the displacements of the screw, when they are carried out alternately in one direction and in the other, produce corresponding displacements of the regulator, without idle running.

United States Patent Inventor Andre Meylan-Rochat Le Brassus. Switzerland Appl. No. 847.117 Filed Aug. 4, 1969 Patented May 25, 1971 Assignee Pareclioc S. A.

Le Sentier, Vaud, Switzerland Priority Aug. 9, 1968 Switzerland REGULATOR-ASSEMBLY FOR TIMEPIECE FOREIGN PATENTS 1,412,244 8/1965 France 58/112 129,636 l/l929 Switzerland 58/1 12 Primary Examincr-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Stanley A. Wal Anomeys-Kenwood Ross and Chester E. Flavin ABSTRACT: A regulator-assembly for a timepiece in which the regulator has a catch engaged in the groove of a tangential screw threaded in the frame of the clockwork in such a way that the angular position of the regulator is modified by rotating the screw, characterized by the fact that the catch is constituted by a thin elastic tongue urged, by its own elasticity, to apply itself against the bottom of the groove, the two terminal faces of the groove being frustoconical and opening towards the outside, the width of the bottom of the groove being less than that of the tongue, so that the tongue bears simultaneously on both frustoconical surfaces, wherefore the displacements of the screw, when they are carried out alternately in one direction and in the other, produce corresponding displacements of the regulator, without idle running.

PATENTEU M25197] INVENTOR. ndre HEYLAN 'ROC HAT cam/1mm (Zia s.

The present invention relates to a regulator-assembly for a timepiece in which the regulator has a catch engaged in the groove of a tangential screw to which is screwed in the frame of the clockwork in such a way that the angular position of the regulator is modified by the adjusting of the screw.

Regulator-assemblies of the above-mentioned type are known. Several solutions have been proposed so that the catch of the regulator engages itself without any play in the groove of the screw so that the displacement of the screw, when carried out alternately in one direction or in the other, immediately produces corresponding displacement of the regulator, without to lost motion.

The object of the present invention is to provide a particularly simple solution to this problem.

The regulator-assembly according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the catch of the regulator is constituted by a thin elastic tongue urging to itself, by its own elasticity, againstthe bottom of the groove, the two terminal faces of the groove being frustoconical and opening towards the outside, the width of the bottom of the groove being less than that of the tongue, the tongue bearing simultaneously on both the frustoconical surfaces the displacements of the screw, when carried out alternately in one direction and the other, producing corresponding displacements of the regulator, without idle running.

The drawing shows, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view, seen from sembly for timepiece,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line ll-ll of FIG. 1, an on enlarged scale, same elements not shown in FIG. 1 having been represented in this FlG.; and FIG. 3 is a section on the line lll-Ill of FIG. 2.

The regulator-assembly shown comprises a holder 1 for the balance spring stud rotatably mounted on a top balance-endpiece, fixed on the balance cock 3, and a lug 1a of which has an edge 1b the exterior face 4 of which is cylindrical. The balance spring, designated by 5, is pressed against this face 4 by a plate 6, screwed by a screw 7.

below, of a regulator-as- The regulator is made of two pieces, namely an annular piece 8 rotatably mounted on the stud holder 1 and an annular piece 9 rotatably mounted on annular piece 8; the piece 9 has a lug 9a carrying the adjustment-pins 10.

The piece 8 of the regulator has a thin elastic tongue 8a engaged in a groove 11 by a screw 12 tangentially disposed with respect to the regulator, screwed in the rim 1b of the stud holder 1. The two axial faces 13 of the groove 11 are frustoconical, opening towards the outside, the width of the tongue being greater than the width of the bottom of the groove. Consequently, the tongue 8a bears simultaneously on the two frustoconical surfaces 13 so that the displacements of the screw 12, when motivated alternately in one direction and in the other, immediately produce corresponding displacements of the regulator, without lost motion.

1 claim:

1. In a regulator mechanism for regulating the running speed of a time-keeping device including a frame and a balance spring stud holder and a hairspring for oscillation of a balance wheel relative to a balance cock, the combination of:

a regulator comprising a first annular member rotatably mounted on the balance spring stud holder and a second annular member rotatably mounted on the first annular member and pivotable about the balance cock allowing the adjustment of the relationship between the second annular member and the balance cock and including a outwardly extending lug mounting a pair of regulator pins positionable at opposite faces of a coil of the hair spring;

a grooved tangentially disposed screw threadedly engaged in the balance spring stud holder, the groove of the screw having opposite frustoconical terminal faces,

the first annular member mounting a radially extending tonggre having a free outer end en ageable in the roove of e screw with the side edges of e tongue being earable in point contact on the terminal surfaces of the groove of the screw for angular position of the effecting incrementally fine movements of the first annular member relative to the second annular member and to the hairspring for the positioning of the regulator pins relative to the hairspring. 

1. In a regulator mechanism for regulating the running speed of a time-keeping device including a frame and a balance spring stud holder and a hairspring for oscillation of a balance wheel relative to a balance cock, the combination of: a regulator comprising a first annular member rotatably mounted on the balance spring stud holder and a second annular member rotatably mounted on the first annular member and pivotable about the balance cock allowing the adjustment of the relationship between the second annular member and the balance cock and including a outwardly extending lug mounting a pair of regulator pins positionable at opposite faces of a coil of the hair spring; a grooved tangentially disposed screw threadedly engaged in the balance spring stud holder, the groove of the screw having opposite frustoconical terminal faces, the first annular member mounting a radially extending tongue having a free outer end engageable in the groove of the screw with the side edges of the tongue being bearable in point contact on the terminal surfaces of the groove of the screw for angular position of the effecting incrementally fine movements of the first annular member relative to the second annular member and to the hairspring for the positioning of the regulator pins relative to the hairspring. 